Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJune 4, 2018

Candidates in Florida’s 6th Congressional District are beginning to reach a consensus: Republican John Ward needs to get out of the race. John Ward has been under fire for weeks for comments made at a forum in April. His take was that displaced Puerto Ricans shouldn’t be voting in Florida; one by one, candidates have been issuing […]

Drew WilsonJune 1, 2018

Republican John Ward is continuing to stake out the Trump lane in his bid to succeed exiting U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. In support of that effort, his campaign announced Friday that it’s freshening up its previously announced six-figure ad buy with a new 30-second spot slated to start running on […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 21, 2018

A major regional endorsement, via Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, went to Mike Waltz in the three-way GOP primary in Florida’s 6th Congressional District Monday. Curry and Waltz share some of the same political advisers, and judging from the quotes of mutual admiration, there is ideological affinity as well. “Michael Waltz is a leader and a warrior with a […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 21, 2018

John Ward, a Republican running to succeed Ron DeSantis in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, is just beginning to get his campaign into top gear. Ward released his first television ad this week, a 30-second spot in which he branded himself as a “constitutional conservative.” And before that, the Massachusetts transplant showed a clear willingness to put resources […]

Drew WilsonMay 18, 2018

Republican John Ward, a Palm Coast businessman, released his first TV ad Thursday for his campaign to replace U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. “Forged to be an American leader, John Ward. A U.S. Naval Intelligence veteran, he answered the call and protected us around the globe,” the ad narrator states. “Strengthened […]

Peter SchorschMay 15, 2018

Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly putting his thumb on the scale for Adam Putman over Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary for Florida governor. There is an easy way to do it. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Pence is making moves to keep President Donald Trump from getting too involved […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 14, 2018

On Monday, former Ambassador Nancy Soderberg rolled out the most high-profile endorsement for her congressional race yet, with former Vice President Joe Biden backing the Clinton administration alum. “I’ve known Nancy for three decades since she first started her work in the Senate,” Biden said. “She is a lifelong public servant who has served at the highest levels […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 10, 2018

U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, a former three-term Jacksonville Sheriff and current first-term Congressman, endorsed Lt. Col. Michael Waltz in the competitive Republican primary in Florida’s 6th Congressional District Thursday. Rutherford and Waltz share some of the same political advisors; the endorsement makes clear that they share a kindred ideological vision as well. “Michael Waltz is a conservative […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 20, 2018

On Friday, St. Johns County Commissioner Jimmy Johns opted to withdraw rather than stay in the race for Florida’s 6th Congressional District. The “resign to run” law compelled the choice. And faced with two self-financing Republican opponents in Michael Waltz and John Ward, Johns stood down. “This decision was a difficult one. I was torn between taking my […]

Scott PowersApril 16, 2018

Democratic former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson said Monday he definitely is running for Congress but insisted he still hasn’t decided where yet, as his campaign reports raising $192,000 in the first quarter of 2018. “I am running for the U.S. House of Representatives,” Grayson said Monday. But the decision as to which district, “gets answered […]